"Don't tell me something like the past Lunar eclipse is about to happen again." Worry appears on Akai's face.
"With so many suspicious people entering and exiting the town, it's not just speculation anymore. Even the increased aggression of sea monsters is similar to the previous incident. I am afraid we might face the same tragedy as our predecessors." The black-robed man sighs helplessly.
"We lost a lot during the previous incident. Even the previous clan head lost his life in that incident." The black-robed man sighs.
"Any lead on who might be the culprit behind these attacks?" Akai inquires.
"There is no definitive proof, but so far, all investigation points towards the members of the royal family. There might even be the involvement of an unknown third party. But we aren't sure of their identity. We don't have enough manpower and resource to get to the depth of this matter." He shakes his head.
"Tch… those damn Royals! The lives of us commoners are worth dirt in their eyes. Innocent people are caught in their filthy game of power struggle. They didn't even hesitate to sacrifice their subjects to find fault with each other. Even… even my daughter… she…" Tears flow from Akai's eyes.
"Mom… don't be sad." A secret passage opens up and the silver-haired lady enters the secret room.
"I chose this path out of my violation. You don't have to blame yourself for this." She wipes the tear from Akai's face.
"Yuri, my dear daughter." Akai's finger slides through the silver-white hairs of Yuri.
"Your bloodline was the purest among all the descendants of the Uzu clan in the past hundred years and yet to maintain that seal… you…" Akai sobs and embraces Yuri.
"Everything will be alright, mom. We must believe in the Sea Lord." Yuri consoles Akai.
'I wonder if another hero will make his appearance!'
Yuri's vision turns blurry, and she falls to the ground.
"Yuri… Yuri…"
"Ojou-san!"
"Viktor… hurry up! Help me carry her to the infirmary."
---------------------
Yawn…
A few hours later,
Izuna wakes up and stretches his arm. He walks downstairs to eat his breakfast.
"Good morning, dear customer!" Akai welcomes him with a warm smile.
"Here for your breakfast?" She inquires.
"Mm… serve me your breakfast specialty." Izuna nods. He glances at her retreating back from the corner of his eye.
'She seems slightly older than before and even her hair lost some of its colors. Her red hair seems to be a trait of her bloodline.'
Izuna recalls the ritual from the previous night.
'She wasn't a part of that ritual. So how did she?'
"Dear customer, your breakfast!"
A young lady with shoulder-length red hair and red eyes places a plate full of seafood.
"Smoked Trout Eggs Benedict, Lobster "Roll-Less" Avocados, Sardines and Avocado Toast and Lobster Waffles!" She meticulously introduces the names of each dish to him.
"Thank you so much!" Izuna smiles at the young lady and picks up a loaf of bread to eat.
'Hmm… this taste different than the seafood of the shinobi world.' Izuna enjoys breakfast.
The red-haired young lady continues to stand beside him with a smile on her face.
While eating, Izuna ponders the situation.
'No wonder that inn lady looks so pale.'
He glances at the red-haired lady standing beside him.
'Isn't she the Miko with the silver hairs who was holding the blood rite summoning ceremony?'
Summoning arts and Blood rite arts are also a part of the Fuinjutsu techniques. He previously delved into the blood arts after reading a record of them in the Uzumaki clan's scrolls. He even created a blood art technique to send a suicidal explosive incarnation at the enemy.
However, over time, the technique lost its appeal to him since it had many constraints on fuinjutsu seals, chakra, and blood. Also, he didn't like to unnecessarily lose blood and become anemic for no reason.
He takes another glance at the pale faces of most of the staff in the hotel and the inn.
'These people lost a lot of blood during the previous ceremony. If not for the blood transfusion from the blood bank, these people might not even have spare energy to move, much less work. Especially this Ojou-chan, she lost a lot of vitality with her blood. Just the transfusion from their blood bank wasn't enough."
He finishes his breakfast with some scrambled eggs and a glass of milk.
"This breakfast was very satisfactory. I am very pleased with your service." Izuna smiles at the red-haired girl.
"Since I am satisfied with your service, I will leave a little gift for you." Izuna ponders for a second before taking out a necklace with a dark green emerald in it.
"This is for you, Ojou-chan! Red suit you a lot, but sometimes a bit of a change of color might intensify your beauty."
He chuckles and exits the inn.
"Lord Izuna!" Hoshi and Kei are waiting for him at the entrance of the inn.
"So, what are our plans for the day?" Izuna inquires.
"Lord Izuna, today we plan to visit the…"
Soon, the group departs from the inn, leaving behind a stunned red-haired lady with an emerald necklace in her hands.
"Yuri! Yuri!" the inn lady calls her name.
"YURI! What's the matter?" Akai approaches Yuri and pats her shoulder.
"Why were you in a daze all of a sudden? Are you feeling unwell?" She presses her hand on Yuri's forehead.
"Or are you still exhausted from the previous day? Should I take your place tonight?" Akai enquires in worry.
"No mom! I am completely fine." Yuri shakes her head as the necklace dangles in her hand.
"This necklace…" Akai's gaze lands on the emerald necklace.
"Such a pretty necklace. Where did you get it from?" She picks up the necklace and touches the emerald stone.
Shoom…
A burst of green energy enters her body. Akai's slightly pale complexion turns rosy and the slight wrinkles on her face disappear. Even her hair regain its deep red color.
"W… WHAT?"
Shock appears on Akai's face. She quickly turns around and signals to the nearby butler. The butler understands her gesture and makes some hand signs and slams his palm on the floor.
Whoosh…
A red circular fuinjutsu formation appears on the floor and encompasses the rest of the customers.
"What… what's going on?"
"What is this thing?"
"Is it some sort of prop?"
"Hey, it could be the secret ninja technique from the legends!" A shinobi enthusiast remarks.
"Hey, I didn't sign up for this. I have an urgent business meeting in a few hours."
Panic ensues among the customer as the glow of the red fuinjutsu formation encompasses them.
After a flash of bright red light, the room turns normal. All the customers slightly shake their heads in confusion and continue eating their breakfast.
Yuri silently follows Akai. They enter the private room of the owner. Akai closes the door and then walks towards the fireplace. She makes some hand signs and taps a few points on the wall.
A small fuinjutsu formation appears in the fireplace, revealing a secret entrance. Both ladies enter the room and the fireplace return to normal.
Inside the secret room.
"Mom! What's the matter? How did you suddenly turn so young after touching the necklace and you even went as far as to use the 'Memory Erasure Formation' on the customers?" Yuri has lots of questions in her mind.
"Before that… tell me, where did you get this necklace?" Akai asks her.
"Umm… Mom! Do you remember that handsome young man with black-blue hair and black eyes?" Yuri's face turns red as she describes Izuna's features.
"You mean that, young man?" Akai raises an eyebrow.
"Ah yes, him! After eating breakfast, he praised the quality and taste of the food and gave this necklace to me as a gift. I thought it was pretty common since lots of rich customers visit us frequently. However, somehow, I felt something different about that young man. Even the summoning seal on my hand was reacting to his presence…"
Yuri removes the gloves from her hand to reveal a small complex fuinjutsu seal on her hand.
"So, it was that young man who gave it to you." Akai's eyes widen in surprise.
"Maybe we underestimated that guy!" Shock appears on her face as she collapses on her rocking chair.
"For him to easily give away such a treasure, he isn't just a small figure." She clutches the emerald necklace in her hands.
"Perhaps we still have hope if such a powerful figure decides to help us." Hope appears on Yuri's face.
"NO! We can't impose on him." Akai shakes her head.
"He already has helped us plenty, as it is." She ties the necklace around Yuri's neck.
"This necklace will help you recover and it will also suppress the burden of the ritual to some extent."
A much-dense green glow encompasses Yuri.